Favorite small kitchen tools

[gfweb]

We all have them. I'm not talking about expensive stuff.

 

Here's one  of  mine Silicone Lid Set (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

Silicone lids. Flat and store easily. I wedge mine into the space between the range and the backsplash.

 

They can look crappy with long use...so buy a new set.

[btbyrd]

I'm fond of long tweezers or forceps. Gringo chopsticks. I use them all the time. I keep a silver and gold pair in my tool baine so that I can have a color coded "raw" and "cooked" pair. And a shiny copper pair for presentation. And a blue pair that lives in my knife roll. And a giant pair for if I need to reach behind the dryer. And...

 

 

The cheap ones seem to be basically as nice as the more expensive ones. If you want a pair of these tweezers that stands up, search for Korean BBQ tongs. Cheap ones abound. If you want to buy the spendy one, Gestura is the one. (But I'd rather have their spoons.)

 

I'm also a fan of a good offset spatula. My favorite one is the Richmond Artifex Mini Plating Spatula from ChefKnivesToGo.com. Mark also calls it the "Maruyoshi Mini Plating Spatula" in the product description. Really, it's a rebranded 5" Nisaku paint spatula that has a bend in it to make it offset. I liked it, noticed that it said "Nisaku" and "5" on the back, and quickly sourced some of their other spatulas. This was years ago, hence the potato quality image.

 

 

The offset spatula is second from the left. Then it's four, five, six, and seven inch non-offset spatulas, followed by a tactical spatula that's designed to be struck with a hammer, should you need to remove some tiles or something.

 

The first thing on the left is a palate knife designed for spackle and paint. It's a nice shape, but the plastic handle isn't my favorite. I told Mark he should make a wooden handled version and sell it as a butter knife. People seem to like it. I like mine (not pictured). I don't make a commission or anything, but it's satisfying to spread your cream cheese with, if you know what I'm saying. Not bad for $10. Gotta pay shipping tho. If you do order from CKTG, get the offset and the butter knife and then check out their spoons and accessories. CKTG makes a "Richmond spoon" that's a knockoff of the Kunz spoon, and people say they're indistinguishable. Do *NOT* get the damascus one.

 

Also maybe pick up the stainless Kuhn Rikon vegetable peeler. The plastic handled ones are an industry favorite and have a carbon steel blade. The stainless one is fully stainless, including the blade, and just feels a touch classier. Of course, it's three times the price. But at $14, it's not a huge splurge.

 

I'd like to give a shout out to the vintage Foley Fork. It's my go-to potato masher and avocado smasher. eBay or Etsy is your source for these.

 

 

 

Janky tines -- they get the job done! If you want things smooth, you can smash all the lumps you want with this fork, but it's not overly aggressive so you can ease off before you're hitting smooth puree territory. Nice for lumpier mash, perfect for guac. I also use it to beat scrambled eggs and flip proteins in pans. It also brings batters together pretty well without working them too hard. It's wisklike but doesn't carry the risk of incorporating a bunch of air (unless you really want it to).

[haresfur]

SIL just gifted me a couple of small but sturdy silicone spatulas and dang  they are nice. The old rubber ones I had just aren't beefy enough to use and these are perfect for getting the bits out of tins and many other tasks. Not to mention hard to melt.

 

Aside from that, cheap-ass plastic scrapers with a variety of flat and curved sides for lifting things of boards and out of bowls. I think they were $3.00 for the set at the crappy-stuff store in town.

 

And last but not least, my various garbage knives. Something sturdy enough to cut apart pumpkin/squash without chipping. Knives to abuse and throw in the dishwasher, knives for the partner who thankfully doesn't want to touch my good ones, and a shout-out to Kiwi for cheap, wobbly, and easy to sharpen. I have this one and it gets a lot of use.

[haresfur]

1 hour ago, btbyrd said:

I'd like to give a shout out to the vintage Foley Fork. It's my go-to potato masher and avocado smasher. eBay or Etsy is your source for these.

 

 

 

Janky tines -- they get the job done! If you want things smooth, you can smash all the lumps you want with this fork, but it's not overly aggressive so you can ease off before you're hitting smooth puree territory. Nice for lumpier mash, perfect for guac. I also use it to beat scrambled eggs and flip proteins in pans. It also brings batters together pretty well without working them too hard. It's wisklike but doesn't carry the risk of incorporating a bunch of air (unless you really want it to).

 

That looks like it would be awesome for beating air into eggs for omelettes / scrambling - if it wasn't right handed.

[weinoo]

This:

 

 

Gets used on an almost daily basis.

 

And one of the great inventions for wine drinkers...

 

 

The Durand.

[gfweb]

I only have 2 long forceps.  Clearly I need more.  😉

 

[Alex]

33 minutes ago, gfweb said:

I only have 2 long forceps.  Clearly I need more.  😉

 

 

I had the same reaction (only 1 here). Now I have forceps envy.

[btbyrd]

 

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

This:

 

Gets used on an almost daily basis.

 

Nice! I wanted the TimeStack, but it was a bit too huge so I had to settle with the TimeStick Trio. It lives on my fridge next to my Thermapen. 

 

[weinoo]

21 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

Nice! I wanted the TimeStack, but it was a bit too huge so I had to settle with the TimeStick Trio. It lives on my fridge next to my Thermapen. 

 

 

Mine lives similarly...

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

This is certainly small and gets used much more than I ever anticipated. Here it's with nutmegs but it nearly always gets used to grate ginger, something I use in almost every meal. I do have a traditional bamboo one, but it is less efficient and difficult to clean.

 

 

[gfweb]

Here's another

Canning Funnels for Kitchen Use,Food Grade Silicone Collapsible Kitchen Funnel Set of 3,Large Wide Mouth Funnel for Mason Jars,Jam and Spice,Small Funnel for Filling Bottles and Powder (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

Widemouth funnels for jars etc.

[rotuts]

wish id sen those funnels

 

when I had my ' free ' prime month.

[rotuts]

the proper spatula is a work horse in the kitchen :

 

 

the one at the top is RubberMaid , and popular w Chef-ie crowds.

 

its seen on Great British Menu and the like.   its junk.  the handle//shaft bends 

 

and the rubber is blunt.  it does work .  its popularity is probably because it has a Red handle.

 

one down in my WorkHorse Ive had for a zillion years .  I have half a doz.  you can see

 

its done its work well.  stiff handle , silicone that's still flexible.

 

the lower three are relatively new :

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LGWPPDY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

they are silicone , the handle is stiff .

 

I bought two sets either by mistake , prescience , or issues w needing new glasses.

 

Im glad I did.  the silicone is easy to cut and trim

 

as you see in the lower example.

 

that one, trimmed ,  fits perfectly in a Heinz glass gravy jar.

 

it get a workout in the cooler months

 

for my Turkey Shepherds Pie. 

 

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[lindag]

Unquestionably the best kitchen items I've bought in the last few months:

 

#1  Silicone spoon/spatula  I use this nearly every day....if I can't find it I'll take it from the dirty dishes in the d/w and used it again.

#2  Electric wine opener  The BEST wine opener ever and I've owned nearly every other one on the planet.

#3  Thermapen  Can you say f-a-s-t?!

[palo]

ALEXA

 

Yes the Amazon thingy

 

In the kitchen I have the round globe-like one with a digital time readout - aside from playing tunes, its main function is as a timer (Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes) which then displays a countdown timer - you can set multiple timers. I also like the ability to ask cooking questions (Alexa, how many grams are there in 2 cups of flour)

 

Unfortunately it gets quite verbose if you ask it how to cook something - it's timer function is also handy if I put something in the microwave and am off in another room - it's much louder and more persistent than the microwave beep

 

p

[rotuts]

@lindag 

 

curious about y0ur digital thermometer  ' THermapen '

 

your ref 

 

Hoseili Instant Read Meat Thermometer for Grill and Cooking. Best Waterproof Ultra Fast Thermometer with Backlight & Calibration. Digital Food Probe for Kitchen, Outdoor Grilling and BBQ,WDD2 (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

is $ 137

 

then there is one , that seems to be the same

 

Hoseili Instant Read Meat Thermometer for Grill and Cooking. Best Waterproof Ultra Fast Thermometer with Backlight & Calibration. Digital Food Probe for Kitchen, Outdoor Grilling and BBQ,wen2 (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

for $ 19.  neither a thermapen.

 

I think I have the $ 19 as a spare for my thermapen

[heidih]

Sure I  posted this before somewhere - my beautiful little marble flea market ($2) mortar and pestle. Used several times a week for peppercorns, small amounts of herbs and whole spices and such. Plus it fits neatly on its side in a drawer.

Edited August 8, 2023 by heidih (log)

[lindag]

This is one that surprised me.

And this is what convinced me:

"This brush aced every category with ease: No stain could withstand its stiff bristles, it rinsed clean with minimal effort thanks to its well-spaced bristle clusters, its silicone-coated handle was comfortable to grip, and its handle curved optimally to give it good leverage for scrubbing. It also had a strip of ultrastiff bristles on the back of its head meant for the toughest messes that beat out every scraper in the lineup. Though its handle was a touch long for some testers, this brush easily outperformed its competition."  Teste results from America'sTestKitchen.com

 

It lived up to every claim and I use it every day.

O'Cedar kitchen brush

 

[rotuts]

@lindag 

 

I too have that brush

 

its a good one.

Edited August 8, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[haresfur]

5 hours ago, heidih said:

Sure I  posted this before somewhere - my beautiful little marble flea market ($2) mortar and pestle. Used several times a week for peppercorns, small amounts of herbs and whole spices and such. Plus it fits neatly on its side in a drawer.

 

It took all my willpower as a graduate student not to requisition a small agate mortar and pestle from the geochemistry lab. I still regret it.

[heidih]

20 minutes ago, haresfur said:

 

It took all my willpower as a graduate student not to requisition a small agate mortar and pestle from the geochemistry lab. I still regret it.

Yes I have a beautiful large Thai one but this little pretty is a workhorse. I've seen those medicinall ones in movies. Apothecary style I guess. This was just a lucky find - right going to the biggest antique/colectible market on the west coast monthly... But when you are looking things often do not appear. Serendipity.  https://www.longbeachantiquemarket.com/

[Maison Rustique]

20 hours ago, palo said:

ALEXA

 

Yes the Amazon thingy

 

In the kitchen I have the round globe-like one with a digital time readout - aside from playing tunes, its main function is as a timer (Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes) which then displays a countdown timer - you can set multiple timers. I also like the ability to ask cooking questions (Alexa, how many grams are there in 2 cups of flour)

 

Unfortunately it gets quite verbose if you ask it how to cook something - it's timer function is also handy if I put something in the microwave and am off in another room - it's much louder and more persistent than the microwave beep

 

p

I have 4--3 Echo Shows and 1 little round gizmo that I can't recall the name. I use them constantly--reminders to put the wash into the dryer, timers for the kitchen, measurement conversions, news and music while I cook, on and on. I never imagined I w ould use them so much--got them free with rewards points of various sorts. 

[palo]

1 hour ago, Maison Rustique said:

and 1 little round gizmo that I can't recall the name.

It's a "Dot" which I don't think is short for Dorothy, maybe period.

 

p

[ElsieD]

On 8/8/2023 at 12:11 PM, palo said:

ALEXA

 

Yes the Amazon thingy

 

In the kitchen I have the round globe-like one with a digital time readout - aside from playing tunes, its main function is as a timer (Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes) which then displays a countdown timer - you can set multiple timers. I also like the ability to ask cooking questions (Alexa, how many grams are there in 2 cups of flour)

 

Unfortunately it gets quite verbose if you ask it how to cook something - it's timer function is also handy if I put something in the microwave and am off in another room - it's much louder and more persistent than the microwave beep

 

p

 

I never thought of that.  I am moving a google one into the kitchen.

[blue_dolphin]

On 8/8/2023 at 7:00 AM, liuzhou said:

This is certainly small and gets used much more than I ever anticipated. Here it's with nutmegs but it nearly always gets used to grate ginger, something I use in almost every meal. I do have a traditional bamboo one, but it is less efficient and difficult to clean.

 

 

 

I bought a bunch of those at Daiso a while back.  I think they were about a dollar each in the store.  $1.75 online.  Packaged them up in a little bag with a nutmeg and tied it on to a bottle of homemade eggnog that I give for holiday gifts.  Should go back and pick up one for myself!

 

2 hours ago, ElsieD said:

 

I never thought of that.  I am moving a google one into the kitchen.

 

It's really handy.  I like that you can "name" your timers when you tell Alexa to set them.  When I'm juggling a bunch of tasks, it's nice to be told, "Your laundry timer is done," or your cookie timer or farro timer or whatever.  I'm so used to it that when a temp alarm I'd set when making ricotta started beeping, I immediately called out, "Alexa, stop alarm," forgetting it was a completely unconnected Thermoworks device!